


The Tide that Swept Me Away

by SaltNPeppa



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Abduction, Angst, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Injury, Injury Recovery, M/M, Major Character Injury, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltNPeppa/pseuds/SaltNPeppa
Summary: Several months ago, if you told Tony he would be spending time with Thanos, living like a forced married couple, he would laugh.Now..it didn’t seem so funny.
Relationships: Thanos - Relationship, Tony Stark & Thanos, Tony Stark/Thanos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This fanfic was inspired by  
> Origingirl’s fic called “Chains”. I put my own twist and charm in this fanfic. I hope you enjoy!

Stark gazed up at a sky that didn’t make much sense.

Purple, orange, and blue hues decorated the skies, despite the sun not being anywhere near setting. 

The man closed his eyes, resting his arms behind his head and allowing himself to sink further against the lush, oddly colored turquoise grass. The birds sang their songs, chirping to one another and flooding his ears with sweet nothings. This only encouraged Stark to zone out completely into his own thoughts. 

Thanos had forced Stark to come with him, stealing him from his life. His girlfriend — Peppers — his friends..Peter. He often wondered what they were doing, who had survived after Thanos snapped, and if they were looking for him. The last thought stung immensely.

Tony didn’t deserve friends who looked for him after he failed. After all, the fact that the Avengers were broken up and unprepared in the first place was undoubtedly due to him and his own screw ups. The thought of Ultron flashed his mind momentarily, causing his stomach to tighten in agony and anxiousness. He sat up at the sudden discomforting feeling, taking deep breaths but failing to still his mind of endless thoughts.

The chirping of birds continued, seemingly mocking his anxious state. Rather than stay basking in the sun, Tony stood, dusting himself off and making his way toward Thanos’ hut. Several months ago, if you told Tony he would be spending time with Thanos, living like a forced married couple, he would laugh.

Now..it didn’t seem so funny.

Tony entered the hut, warmth plaguing his body as he crossed the small cottage. A small, recently lit fireplace sat crackling gently in the middle of the hut. The man paused, watching as the fire danced. His eyes reflected the fire, one no longer in his own spirit.

He felt domesticated, like cattle. Eating when Thanos ate; waiting for the titan to come home. Eating with the warlord who took everything from him, now that is funny. Tony thought bitterly. His life, his family, friends. He only has the clothing on his back to signify that his previous lifestyle has once existed. Has once been real.

“Stark.” Thanos spoke softly, startling Tony. 

Tony dipped his gaze away from the fire in front of him, turning to instead look at Thanos. Rather than armor, Thanos now wore simple clothing consisting of a wool shirt and cotton pants, topped with brown boots. He would have given the warlord a double take if he wasn’t already so used to look.

_‘Used to.’_ Tony thought, bitterly _. Something he’d never believed he’d correlate to Thanos’ existence_

Several months ago, if you told Tony he would be spending time with Thanos, living like a forced married couple, he would laugh.

Now..it didn’t seem so funny.

“Yeah.” Tony replied after a moment, his eyes looking up to meet that of Thanos.

“You have not yet eaten, yet it is late in the afternoon, now,” Thanos spoke, placing a hand on the scientists’ shoulder.

Tony shrugged the hand off with little success, his eyes darting away. He would never feel comfortable around the man who took everything. Tony wasn’t even sure what the state of the world was. Everyone could be dead, for all he knew. It would be wrong to be happy and comfortable. He deserved to suffer, like everyone else.

“Not hungry,” The man replied, his stomach comically choosing this time to rumble in protest. Tony cleared his throat, sheepish at the humous timing. “I mean, I’m on a diet.”

Thanos chuckled, eyeing the man for a moment longer before moving away. “Let us go fishing, Stark.”

Tony blinked in surprise. Though he was granted limited freedom here and there, he never ventured off so far as the river. Thanos often visited this river, leaving for hours at time for reasons he stated were due to the long journey. Tony had never before joined the titan. 

With a sudden spark of newfound curiosity and excitement, Tony nodded, zipping down the light jacket he wore in preparation for the long hike ahead.

Thanos reached across his bedding, grabbing his satchel and tossing it across his broad shoulder. Tony only knew that the satchel contained a sharply carved stone knife. Nothing else was known to the man. He didn’t dare pry. 

—-

The hike was longer than Tony anticipated. He had assumed “long” meant, four hours — tops. Rather, what Thanos deemed as long was a day. An entire day dedicated to visiting a stupid river. 

Tony wiping the sweat dripping down his forehead, his hair already clumped into thicker strands from his wet forehead. He paused after a moment, catching the attention of Thanos. The titan paused to glance back at the human, who was now several feet away from him compared to when they had began the hike.

“I believe it is time to pause and rest here.” Thanos stated evenly, his eyes analyzing exhausted and beaten Tony’s state. 

Without waiting for a reply, the titan began tearing twigs off of surrounding trees, setting them all in one spot before settling down on the moist dirt, rubbing the sticks together patiently to create a small fire. The sun was now low in the oddly colored skies, creating a beautiful sunset. 

Tony settled across from Thanos, taking rest as close as he possibly could to the campfire to retain some level of warmth. Though he was drenched in his own sticky sweat, when the sun set in this world, it was as cold as a snowy day. The orange and red flames of the fire tainted him with promises of warmth as he watched it silently, holding his hands out to warm his palms.

Thanos once again broke the silence between them after several minutes. “I’ve brought you something to eat, Stark. I understand you’ve very hungry by now.”

Tony quirked a brow, the sun now completely set and the sounds of what seemed like an owl cooed periodically, filling whatever remained of the silence. 

“You waited until now to mention that?”

Taking the satchel off his shoulder, Thanos took out a small cloth, beckoning the man to sit himself closer. “Come.” 

Tony huffed, staying still for a second to show his defiance before crawling over, sitting a couple inches away from the warlord. 

“What did you bring?” Tony questioned, tilting his head and attempting to look past the small cloth which enveloped some kind of contents inside.

“Anka berries,” Thanos replied, unraveling the small cloth and placing it on Tony’s lap. “They are sweet with a bit of tanginess. They may be small, but they will satisfy your hunger. You will enjoy them.”

Tony stares at the berries in question, picking one up and rolling it between his fingers. It looked nearly identical to a blueberry in terms of general shape, but the color was bright green. Nearly neon. 

“This looks like the dictionary definition of aposematism,” Tony commented, glancing at Thanos suspiciously. “You sure these are safe to ingest?”

Thanos let out another soft chuckle, turning to watch the fire as he spoke. “Yes, Stark. They remain one of my favorites to eat.”

Tony wiggled his nose as he sniffed the fruit, the berry not giving off any particular scent. “Dunno it I trust something a titan says. What if it has adverse effects on a human?”

Thanos gave a small hum of acknowledgement, his eyes trained on the fire in front of him as he spoke. “If that is the case, I am sure a curious scientist such as yourself will do well in trying to understand those adverse effects.”

The big guy wasn’t wrong, he had to admit.

Tony finally popped one of the small berries into his mouth, cautiously biting down. The fruit immediately gave way, bursting in his mouth and releasing an initially sweet nectar that turned sour as he continued to chew.Tony nearly felt healed at the taste. After hours of nothing to eat, having some kind of taste in his mouth made him revive his energy. He quickly popped the rest of the berries in his mouth, nearly startled out of his skin when Thanos chuckled.

Suddenly self conscious, Tony handed the titan the small, now empty, cloth back, turning away from both the titan and the lit fire and lying on his side. The cool dirt aided in refreshing Tony’s once sweaty skin while the fire warmed his back. A comfortable silence between the two developed, allowing Tony’s lids to slide shut, feeling awfully heavy.


	2. Opposing Sides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment!

Thanos noticed how quiet the man had been during their hike back to the hut after collecting a large amount of fish for the coming days. The titan believed the fishing “lesson” had gone relatively well. However, Tony avoided his eyes and replied back to his questions with abrupt statements, suddenly reserved.

“What is wrong?” Thanos questioned, lighting a fire as the sun began to set. The titan sat himself down beside the fire on the soft soil.

Tony watched the fire blankly, remaining standing as he did so. “What’s wrong? Seriously? Everything’s wrong.” The man bit harshly and quickly, as if he was waiting the entire day to confront the titan. “You took everything away from me. And yet here I am, acting buddy-buddy with you.”

“I did what needed to be done. What everyone refused to do. The dirty work.” Thanos chimes in, his tone even unlike Tony’s emotional outburst. 

A brief moment passed, Tony’s expression wrinkling in pain before hardening as he continued. “No one asked for this.”

“No one has to. The burden fell on me to enhance the world for future generations,” Thanos relayed, allowing himself to settle closer toward the warm fire. “Your generation will despise what I did. But the ones that come later will not.”

Tony clenched his fists against his sides, closing his eyes tightly to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He’d rather die than cry in front of his greatest enemy.

“Your planet dying has nothing to do with Earth,” The man spoke stiffly, his shoulders scrunched up tensely. “You’re just a grape with a glorified garden glove.” Tony finished, turning and entering the hut, leaving no room for reply.

—-

Tony spent the next morning in bed, lying facing the wall. He didn’t feel like speaking to the titan and frankly, Thanos didn’t talk to him that morning either. He appreciated the space. 

The guilt and isolation had finally gotten to Tony. Several months spent with the mad titan nearly numbed him to the reality on Earth. He didn’t have time to rest. He needed to find a way to get back to Earth — to somehow communicate his location to the others.

What others?  His mind questioned suddenly. 

What if none of the Avengers were left? What could he possibly do to get back to Earth? There was no technology around, as far as he knew. He swallowed nervously, anxiousness and hopelessness biting at his gut. Thanos no longer had the infinity stones, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t squash Tony like a bug from his sheer physical strength. Without his suit, Tony was just a man who lacked iron. 

“You remain troubled?” A voice calls out suddenly, startling the scientist. Tony grabs his chest with surprise, turning on his bed to look at Thanos who stood a foot away from the laying man. 

“Obviously,” Tony hissed, the anger from last night arising and settling in his chest before dissipating. The sudden hopelessness plagued his being. It didn’t matter how many times he complained to Thanos. The mad titan would never understand what he did. The pain he caused — the pain he’ll continue to cause in Tony. 

Tony allowed his eyelids to slip shut, his body going lax as he whispered, pained. “It doesn’t matter what I say. You just take, and take. You don’t give a damn what happens afterwards. Everything is hunky-dory in your little fantasy land.”

Thanos settled beside Tony’s legs on the small bedding, rousing the man and forcing him to open his eyes, his brows risen in confusion. 

“You and I are alike, Stark,” Thanos stated, his eyes trained on Tony’s own.

“We’re nothing alike.” Tony bit back, anger evidence in his face.

Thanos shifted a bit, placing a gentle hand on the man’s leg. “We are.”

He then stood, leaving the hut with slow strides until Tony could no longer see him from where he laid. The word “alike” remained in his mind, echoing and haunting him for the remainder of the time he was laid the day away.

Hours later, Tony felt insanely hungry, his stomach growling in protest at his day fast. After lying for another hour, listening carefully for any sign of Thanos being near and failing to hear anything, he stood up, his feet causing the wood to creak with a whine. He paused, his heart racing in his throat and obstructing his ability to hear closely. After several seconds at a standstill, he slowly began making his way across the hut, pausing at the doorway when he saw a figure lurking in the shadows. 

He panic jump started for only a moment until Thanos stepped closer, his eyes lit up from the wax candles he had presumingly lit to make up for the growing darkness of the night. 

“Stark,” He greeted shortly, passing the man to enter the hut. Tony whirled around, following the titan with his eyes. “You must be hungry.”

Sheepishly, Tony scratched his neck, furrowing his brow. “Not really, no.” He lied.

Thanos hummed in reply, seemingly ignoring the blatant lie. “I’ve cooked some fish from yesterday’s fishing trip.”The hulking man set a plater of cooked fish on the counter, unwrapping the makeshift skin pelt to reveal a freshly grilled fish. The smell of delicious meat wafted the hut, greeting Tony’s nose. Like an animal, the man drooled, unable to stop himself.

Thanos chuckled at the sight, motioning toward the fish wordlessly. After a moment, Tony slowly inched himself closer, glancing at the titan who remained watching until he picked at a piece of white meat with his hand, eating it. Then he took another bite, then another. Until the fish was completely bare with only bone remaining. 

After finishing, Thanos stepped closer, towering over Tony. Immediately, the man felt tense, the size difference startling him back into reality. 

“Come,” Thanos said simply, watching the hesitance in the human’s eyes. “Or do not. It is your choice.” Stepping past the man, the titan exited the hut, pausing and glancing back at Tony, waiting for his move.

Despite Tony’s growing curiosity at the titan’s proposal, he remained defiant, ceasing to follow the hulking man and instead shrinking back into the darkness that swallowed the hut.


End file.
